The Original Fiat Panda Is an Italian Car Icon
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- čas přidán 17. 06. 2024
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Fiat Panda review! The original Fiat Panda is a very special car, and an icon among Italian cars. Today I'm reviewing the Fiat Panda, and I'll show you all the quirks and features of the Fiat Panda. I'm also going to drive the Fiat Panda and show you what it's like on the road.
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As a European, seeing Doug appreciate these European mini cars is so cool to see. And these Pandas are getting more and more desirable, even for me!
Yes "Uncomfortable" sums up appreciation.
I'm Spanish. Back in the 1990's my aunt had a 1985 Panda, with body panels in that horrible kind of dirty ivory paint that was so popular at the time. I remember every time the speedometer hit 100 km/h the steering wheel would start shaking loudly. At 120 km/h _the whole car_ would start shaking. Fun times...
Hopefully we get more small European cars, the 2CV and original Twingo are on my wishlist.
We had idiotic cocoon-styled ford interiors, so, for us european cars were fair
And this isn't even the basic version, this is the luxury one..
Doug, you missed the most important feature for the Italian young couples: the reclining seats. They are so fast to use, and after reclining your have all the space you need for recreational purpose. Who knows how many were conceived inside a panda!
Seems ironic, considering how hard it is for panda bears to conceive...
The front seat plus back seat to a little bed
well, he is an american so he only uses a car to eat in, not to make love in.
I can testify to this, my girlfriend's parents had a Fiat Panda 😉
*procreactional purpose
"If you lived in Italy in that era, you either had a Panda, or knew someone who did" is an absolute truth: Pandas were omnipresent.
They weren't fit just for cities, but also for countrysides and all the small villages that dot the Italian landscape, with their absurdly narrow streets.
Thank you for reviewing this glorious piece of Italian car history.
They still are, both newer and older models. Almost every Italian has been in a fiat banda lol
@@simonemontagna7678 Fiat Banda? ROFL!
You won't believe how capable these cars are off-road
I want one, a cheap economical vehicle that is easy to maintain 👍👍👍
@@juliancrooks3031 Literally, it can go anywhere. Simple, easy to drive, cheap to maintain and... no exaggeration..the 4x4 version could go anywhere.
@@delf197810 convince fiat to rebadged them as Dodge Omni as they are into retro designs and ship them to U S. With high gas prices they would sell good
Italian here: the Panda is so italian and so familiar to us that seeing it in USA reviewed by Doug is really weird.
Feels like when you see suddenly your best friend on national TV.
By the way the 4x4 is not a regular Panda, it's a badass off road car
@@karlk.6819 Non piangere dai
@@karlk.6819 tiene il passo con le miglior off-roader la fuori, scusa se è poco
@@karlk.6819 ha capacità off road notevoli infatti è usatissima nelle zone di montagna e non solo.
Sul fatto che sia scomoda… è ragionevolmente comoda e non è una bentley te ne sei accorto si?
@@karlk.6819 Dillo senza piangere fratè
@@buioso una Honda logo è una Bentley in confront a questa. Ma elogiare la merda come questa panda èmolto Italian style quindi nn discuto pltre
That's _the_ italian iconic car. Not only it's everything Doug described but it also got the reputation of being an indestructible legend of a car that drives where other cars won't drive, on any terrain and condition. Nice used 4x4 Pandas are shooting up in value since people want them to this day and they still get national press or celebrities driving them (and praising them).
and we should also talk about the Steyr-Puch 4x4 system...
Those 4x4s are still used in some vin yards as they can get between the vines unlike a tractor.
@@fukuoka33 that's Because seat was part of Fiat
I visited mount vesuvius earlier this year, and these were the only cars being used to drive up the volcano. So so good
@@nickjacobs1770 also is impossible to replace with anything because the Panda is actually huge you can fit with working boots even if you are tall. my first car was a Panda that took me way to long to replace because im 1.96 (6/4 i think in American) and cars that i could fit where out of my price range or not really an upgrade.
Thank you, Doug. You took me down memory lane. As a German, we take cars way too seriously, I still miss my Panda Selecta (automatic). The gearbox was the same size of the engine. It was like a aquarium set on a auto scooter. The repairs were so wonderfully easy and cheap. I took it on so many adventures and it never betrayed me. And it is a little sad that you did not drive that Panda 4x4 offroad because it is just a little mountain goat.
Couldn’t agree with you more.
My family lives in the mountains of Tuscany, and the 4x4 Panda can go anywhere on those narrow, steep dirt and gravel "roads." It is one of the few cars that is narrow enough to make it all the way up to the top of the town where my family comes from. It is perfectly suited to the terrain.
Correct!
Another interesting quirk Doug missed: to minimise costs and complexity during production the front and rear side windows are not curved, they actually are a flat surface so that the same piece of glass could be fitted both on the left and right side.
I understand the flat windscreen was actually more expensive to make than a curved one, but a flat screen better suited the ethos of the car so they actually opted for the more costly option. Design won out!
Also, the windows on the passenger side are just reversed driver side windows. The logo on the passenger side is just reversed.
I’m late to this video and was going to mention that.
@@stephenshepherd8740 worse yet the version my dad had - the windshield was tempered but not laminated (late 80s model?) and when a large oncoming vehicle passed him the entire windshield disintegrated and blew in on him. I dont know if they ever went to a laminated version (its a legal requirement in the US)
From what I can tell, isn’t that true for all American cars, compared to cars from other parts of the world? It bothered me so much when I went to the US - that all the side view mirrors are almost flat or at least close to flat! I assume not to save costs though, but probably because of some stupid laws that say that the mirror shouldn’t distort the actual image. This is the reason why I really hate driving in the US.
Here's my Fiat Panda story: When skiing in Italy in the early 2000s there were a lot of banner adds on the ski lifts for Audis A4 quattro offroad. The cars were pictured on driving on slopes, drifting through snow, going over frozen lakes, climbing up hills. The Audi A4 quattro offroad surely is the car for the mountains, at least thats what Audi wanted us to believe.
Skiing down I saw some workers fixing the poles & netting on the edge of the slope. Parked behind them: a Panda 4x4.
Yes, but audi sponsored the ski world Cup. Locals need something reliable, practical and affordable..
Before Pandas you could had seen a lot of Autobianchi A112 or Fiat 127, but the 4x4 traction of the panda was a great step ahead. Low weight and small tyres drove great on snow
In the late 90's/early2000s my family had a B5 Passat 4-motion, on the mountain we got stuck alongside some friends of us (with an Audi 100 V8 if I remember correcly), just to witness a Fiat Panda 4x4 overtaking with ease our cars that in the meantime completly sunk in the snow.
Good story. Well delivered. 👍
@@adrianzanoli There is a popular video where you can see a Range rover stuck in a snowy hairpin and then a Panda 4x4 arrives and passes like the road was clear of any snow or ice
True... way better off-road and snow from X5 value car competition.
The air vents Doug said was for defogging is just holes through the upper part of the firewall that allow cold air to be forced in while driving. Defogging is via the tiny slats in between.
Also the fabric part of the "dashboard" is just that, a cloth clamped under the windscreen. The lower part has a channel sewn into it where a plastic tube is inserted. When the tube is hung on their side mounted holders it creates the hollow part for the speakers and glove storage pit. The ashtray slides on the plastic tube inserted in the fabric.
Back seats could fold up against the back of the front seats, thus creating more storage on the fllor pan while acting as a safety stop for sliding cargo.
4X4-system is Austrian Steyr-Puch who made systems for among others Mercedes G-Wagon and the Pinzgauer military vehicles.
Not all 4X4 had the inclinometer cluster on top of the dash.
Yes, I owned a few of these wonderful small cars. Love them!
Doug has the power to make me want every car he reviews... especially these little ones. I'm only about an inch shorter than he is so some of them would be less practical but I love the little things that were made cheaply, that get good gas mileage, that are just cuuuuute!
Wish cars weren't so expensive now, if I had more money I'd try and import one.
Thanks for your comment, glad to see people like you contributing more interesting and useful information!
We had a version called the Sisley that had the pitch and roll gauges.
@@roysoutdoorlife Very cool variant, I had no extras in my cars.
@@svenwesterlund3405 simple is best!
Remember: the mirror on the passenger side was an option you had to pay for on initial versions.
What’s your point?
@@AlbertManiscalcoPoint being that the base model was as basic as could be. Sort of the Italian Citroen 2CV.
one of the biggest upside on the Panda was on non 4x4 cars, the rear "seats" would fold into the boot creating basically a queen size bed, if you're 20 something that means a lot
Just live inside your panda!!
@@h.s.5995 not live but nice for late evenings....listen to me bro!
you also could fold the backseat into a hamock for the kids to sleep in
@@kowalski2015 italians always be prepared 😉😉😉
@@kowalski2015 advertisements at the time were quite explicit!
Just some additions: this '95 model is almost a top of the line version. Base models had fixed rear windows, no clock, no water temperature gauge (in place there was a big red light), no trip meter, no plastic vents for the windshield, no speakers, no car stereo.
Other engines were the primitive air-cooled 600 cc 2-cylinders, 899 cc OHV, various sizes FIRE engines (750, 1000 and 1100 cc). Sometime in the early nineties briefly existed a diesel version, i think it was a rough and slow 1400 cc natural aspirated.
Thanks for the info 👍🏼
an electric version was also made. and a 4x4 (4wd) model has always existed alongside all the othe revisions
It was a 1300cc Diesel iirc. Never knew these existed (they were never sold in Germany) and only found out some years ago through a video on CZcams.
@@Timico1000 as an italian I've never seen a diesel panda here
Some were even 0.9 litres
It's incredible how Doug can review a panda being enthusiastic exactly the same as reviewing a Bugatti, if not even more.
That's what makes him great.
May be because his origins Name is SARDINIAN ❤❤.... 😊
Panda>new Bugatti.
@@user-vx5bh3iw6rNennixee
Panda's were great cars. i've been in them a lot. but i gotta say, the one you reviewed was top of the line. the two tone interior, cloth dash, 4x4. you need to see how bareboned you could actually get these from the dealerships haha
Italian guy here! This car in particular has many optional: for example the fact that the passenger mirror is adjustable from the inside is an optional, the stereo system is an optional, the opening rear windows are an optional and the polarized rear mirror is also an optional. Also it's in fantastic shape and now these are becoming so rare, that one of this can cost at least as much as 9000/10000€.
As always fantastic video, keep it up👍
Oh cmon. They're selling for as low as 1000€ in Balkan countries
I'm Portuguese, in Portugal a good condition one goes for a lot, we have some fanatics of the Panda and some groups that love to mod them, they are called "the Pandameras" of the Porche Panamera
@@mesicek7 Yeah, the basic one. The cheapiest 4x4 in Belgium in good condition is about 8000€
Not sure how different our Seat Marbella was from the Fiat Panda, but our 1990s one didn't have a passenger mirror at all. Nor did it have any kind of radio/stereo. Also, our air vent was strictly singular. One vertical vent in the dash that could be tilted toward the driver or passenger, but def not both at once.... such decadence! It was definitely an interesting experience in summer...
@@mesicek7 They're slightly different versions (usually made in Poland), as the 126
Fun fact: La Panda 4x4 is an absolute beast off road! It can beat the vast majority of 4WDs (including the Japanese ones); hence its popularity among hunters and farmers in Italy. Can you please try it out on dirt roads Doug?
Greetings from Italy!!!
In famiglia la 30s del 1985 ci ha tirato avanti per 23 anni di onoratissimo servizio.
The panda 4x4 is almost a status symbol now 😂
The Panda is our Ford F150. It's still one of the cars that sells better in Italy, I've got one in my family (although ours is a 2010s model, after it was completely redesigned using modern standards, the original spirit is there though: it's still a spartan and spacious car).
Also, the Panda 4x4 was made for farmers, not because of "poor roads", as I said above, it's the Italian version of the Ford F150, the American farmers' car.
@@kaisersoymilk6912 MAKES SENSE...
In Brazil the Italian icon is the fiat uno mille, when you come here you need to test this car
As a kid, there were a few cars I wanted once I grew up: the Testarossa, the F40, the Countach, Alfa 155, Lancia Delta Integrale, Lotus Esprit... and the Panda 4x4. Those are still some of my dream cars.
I still want a Panda "Sergio Taccini" & a Lancia Y10 "Fila"!
I stayed with an Italian family for a few weeks back in 1998. Their second car was a FIAT Panda. We once took a rideout to San Gimignano to a winery to pick up the family’s wine. To my amazement my host brought a empty demijohn which holds about 10 or more gallons of wine when filled. We arrived opened the back hatch and the wine make had a filling pump and filled us up. The ride back was considerably slower due to the addition of 10 gallons of wine through the beautiful Tuscan hills. What a memory.
Fun fact about the 4x4 version you reviewed:
It is said that the 4x4 version wasn't initially planned by FIAT managers, but Giovanni Agnelli (the big boss of the company) needed a car to go skiing in Sestriere, which needed to be compact and capable of driving in the snow.
Hence the 4x4 version was born
For the same reason there is a single example of the Lancia Delta Integrale Cabrio
Who cares how the Panda 4X4 came into being. It was a great idea then and it would be a great car to have now.
Urban myth, new models are massive investments and extensively planned, as a failure can crash the company... panda 4x4 was no different....
The 4x4 would go over good here in the U.S.
@@juliancrooks3031 the transmission was made by the same company who made the original G wagon transmission. Fiat just went to Austria and and ask them "I want the same but smaller".
Sadly it became quite rare and they go for quite a bit of money, especially if in good conditions. But if you want a very small and reliable 4x4 this is basically the only car of this category that exists, the modern panda 4x4 is also a quite capable little car, but it can't take as much abuse as the old version and its not as capable as of road, though you can find videos of it competing with a range Rover. It should be too hard to import one of these to the US
Thank You for your review of one of my old family cars! As an italian, and an italian car fan I think this was a very accurate and passionate one! You made me relive those years.. Grazie Mille! Also, it is so cool that you drove it in LA! That you guys know and appreciate it!
Good Morning Doug, wonderful review.The panda 4x4 gen one had a proper rear differential, steyer Puch in Austria did the work and they cost almost double the price of the two wheel drive version.
We would see them in St Moritz in the 80’s.Many of the locals had them.It’s a very capable car in the snow and hills.Sure they were rust prone but a few are still around, their mechanicals are tough.
Even today the later generations of 4x4 pandas are popular in the Swiss and Italian ski resorts.
Thank you for the video, it brought back warm memories
Those ones also had a Puch badge on the back I think.
Here in Germany the Fiat Panda was also very famous. Here it was also the case that you either owned a Fiat Panda or knew someone who owned a Fiat Panda. About 15 years ago I bought a Fiat Panda as a winter car for €100 and the car got me through five months of bad weather without any problems. A very reliable, very cheap and economical vehicle.
it was my first car
@@DyslexicMitochondria ur username made me click on ur profile. Ur channeI is a hidden gem bro
@@DyslexicMitochondria you channel is truly awesome :-9
@@DyslexicMitochondria Hah I love seeing you comment on other youtubers I follow! Your channel is so cool, and needs 10000x more recognition!!!
You guys have no idea what an absolute tank that car is.Just like Doug said, when people think what italian car is the most iconic for italians, what comes to mind is not a Ferrari, it's not a Fiat 500 but it's this car. I live in Italy in the Alps and around here that is a legendary vehicle to say the least, many people still use it beause in some conditions it's still the best thing you can have. I have overtaken so many fancy SUVs or more practical offroaders stuck in snow on the mountain roads with this car and also with the newer versions of the Panda. Obviously it has its downsides, for example if you had to go on the highway and you were brave enough to touch the 130kmh everything would start to vibrate and the best safety feature in the Panda were the prayers you could say while driving lol.
That part about the safety feature being your prayers is hilarious!
My first car was an '89 Panda 900 - I loved it! Thanks for posting this video - it brought back so many happy memories.
one of the best car designs ever! my mother had one for over 20 years and it just kept on going. wonderful machine.
Il fatto che Doug recensisca una Fiat Panda mostra la sua immensa passione per le auto curiose o che hanno definito un'epoca. Il fatto che Doug riesca a trasmettere così accuratamente i bisogni e le particolarità della cultura automobilistica italiana mostra la sua grande intelligenza umanistica. Grazie Doug!
Being Italian, this is probably the first time i see on this channel a "normal" car to me that is something strange to see in the US. The Panda is the true Italian Icon just like the old 500... A car that never let's you down and that if it happens, with a few euros you fix. I've driven a lots of variants and is always fun to drive, and still you can meet lots of those on the roads as Doug said.
Just a little thing to add, the rear tailgate and the front grill are the "updated" ones, from 1991. The previous had also Fiat badges (front and rear) and the "Panda 4x4" logo was not sculpted on the body of the car but there was an emblem saying Panda 4x4 Steyr Puch wich was the factory who made the 4WD system
Don't forget that the Yugo at the bottom of Doug's list was actually based on a Fiat. However, it was a 1970s design and the Yugoslavians might not have put them together as as carefully.
@@MrDuncl Well, yes it was based on a Fiat but never began an icon, only a cheap car. Here was named as Innocenti Koral, and they sold way less than a Panda (or a Fiat 127 etc)
My uncles in Northern Italy still drives this.
I have relatives who live in central and northern Sweden, and they all own Panda’s (and have since around 1985). As you might imagine, those areas of Sweden get a lot of bad weather and snow most of the year, but the 4 wheel drive Pandas are loved by Swedes. Despite the reputation Italian cars have as being unreliable and poorly made, Pandas are tough cars. They’re also very easy to fix, most things you can do yourself. Gasoline is also extremely expensive in Europe (and more so in Sweden because of the high standard of living, and Pandas are great on gas. But the real talent of the Panda is what it can do off-road: they’re almost unstoppable.
I wouldn't say this kind of car is strange in the US. We had omnis.
How nice of you to review this car! I had one from 1985 to 1992 more spartan than this ,4X4, and it had a badge from Stayer ,the builder of the 4X4 system.Try it of road (not in sand) you may enjoy it!The build quallity was good for 5 years and after that... a problem per month was the usual.Allthought i really miss it . It was my first car and your video made me feel nostalgia.Congratulations !Keep up!
Family friends used to drive from Dublin to Tuscany, every year, 2 adults, 3 kids, in a Panda 45, and never had a problem, other then being a bit cramped. Those things went and went and went and went. Also, the 4X4 ROCKS!
Giorgetto Giuriano once said in an interview that, from all the cars he had designed, the Panda was his favourite and the one he was most proud of as a designer. And if we acknowlegde that design is not (only) about drawing athletic shapes or sports cars, but it's way more than that, it becomes easy to understand why he said so.
Extra fun fact: the (current) 3rd generation Panda still is the best hit in sales in Italy today. It still has 4x4 versions which are famous to leave behind well-known big 4x4 (not even mentioning SUV and crossovers).
And honestly, in most Italian Cities, villages and especially mountain villages, the current 4x4 Panda is the only car that is really usable.
that "drawing athletic shapes" is actualy styling. Nothing with design.
And he is the one who designed the delorean
It's also worth highlighting that it's 4x4 capabilities in the snow are almost legendary!
There are loads of videos about it on here in fact. When I was a kid in the 90s Range Rovers, MBs, or BMWs got stuck but the Panda just overtook them and kept going. If you were an avid skier in Italy, Austria or Switzerland (Alps) very often you had one of these, not only did they get you to the top you also had no problem parking them there.
In fact many do today as the latest generation of Panda 4x4 is still very good in the snow. It was and still is an incredible little machine!
Brilliant little 4x4 machine!
too bad the new panda cross is awful looking, but 2012 panda is def car with best visibility of any modern car, back windows are superb, I'm eager to see the next gen panda, it would be shame if they stopped making 4x4 ones
True. I drove personally on 5 inches of fresh snow with ice beneath on a mountain road in early morning: smooth and safe. That motor is shit, but the car climbs amazingly. You could park so easily in 10 inches of fresh snow.
Nice. So the car got through the snow, but during that you froze to death.
@@miskatonic6210 absolutely not! Even in winter the motor fries: in five minutes you have your cockpit very hot, without pushing the outlet of hot air. No vent, temperature level selector very "low".
In summer you would have overheating trouble.
I am italian and my beloved Granpa got a Panda 4x4 Sisley (special 4x4 version).
He took me along with him in countless off road mountain adventures with that and he really loved it.
Eventually in the early '2000s he changed it for a Suzuki Jimny but never stop loving it.
Those are really nice memories i have with him.
Ahhhh my first car. Drove it for 9 years. That's why I use this nickname :D. Mine was 2002 without 4x4 but with same engine. Never got cold on winters and on summer what venting did the job ok but far from perfect. I climbed on snowy mountains with only winter tires without issues. On highways it could achieve easily 160km/h (top speed) but I kept it at 120. I will never forget when I followed offroad Micubushi Payero with 2 friends inside without any problems. Always had wired parking spot on busy beaches. Engine failure at 450.000km on odometer separated us so I had to scrap it :(.
The 4x4 with winter tires is hands down the best car on snow you will ever see and they are hard to find in mountain areas in Europe. It is fun to see them passing 100K German SUVs that are stuck on the roads
There’s lots of videos of pandas 4x4 towing stuck porsche cayenne/audi suv in the italian mountains
agreed
The modern cars, expecially SUVs are:
1. Too heavy
2. Have tyres that are too wide
I think
@@227conejo Many modern SUV has 4wd systems that arent any better for grip than this, regardless of tires. It is open diffs galore. The only thing saving them a bit is their traction control system, but it is often not calibrated very well for terrain driving, depending on model of SUV.
Secondly, look at the ground clearance for many of them, this little car has oodles more than most of them.
Fiat Campagnola 1107a Is a lot better in snow
Hi! I'm from Italy and I can tell you that it's true, every Italian in the late 80's and 90's had a Panda or knew someone who owned a Panda. The 4x4 was the preferred vehicle for sheepherders, farmers and landowners, because it was so simple and cheap that litteraly nothing could break, so it was the perfect working horse. It was low in fuel consumption and the 4x4 system was really basic, no differential, all wheels spin at the exact same speed, so you are not allowed to pass 50 km/h in 4x4 or you will destroy everything! If you came to Italy, you would be surprised by how many original Pandas are still alive and well, after all these years!
@@mjngp Another very popular car in Italy, the Uno. It was the first car with the FIRE engine, if I'm not mistaken. FIRE stands for Fully Robotized Integrated Engine, long words for probably the smallest engine in the history of automaking. Still, a somewhat reliable engine, that didn't need a lot of maintenance. But in later years, the Uno Turbo IE was a true monster. The Uno Turbo, the Peugeot 205 GTI, the Renault 5 GT, in Italy we call these cars "coffins on wheels", because they had such a poweful engine wrapped in a tiny, lightweight car, with little or no safety features. No ABS, no airbags, no ESP, traction control, nothing.
And most of us born in italy in the late 80’ are probably be conceived in that car😅
Years ago I went to Andorra which is a tiny country in the middle of the Pyrenees between Spain and France. Since the country is very mountanous, roads are twisty and it snows frequently. There I found out that the most popular car was the Panda 4x4 for obvious reasons. Their off road capabilities are quite good and probably would put to shame any modern SUV.
And we had the Punto, the Tempra, the Tipo, the Seicento. Not to mention some cars from Lancia, like the Delta. Back then we lived a very special part of italian history.
( No, we don't talk about the Duna )
@@Theshadowpoison I personally know a person, a dear friend of mine, who still owns and drive a Duna in immaculate conditions, after almost 40 years. It's camp. It's a car too bad that is actually good!
The first version by Giugiaro was even simpler, but cleverer: There was a fabric pocket on pax side and the possibility to fold the seat and the bench to sleep in the car... amazing
They kept the double bed part.
I remember those ‘special editions’ on cheep cars in the UK in the 80s and 90s. The Ford Fiesta came in a ton of them. It was always an exciting moment finding a new one.
Good on you, Doug, for knowing how iconic this car was in Italy. Most people would see this and not think twice about it, but in Italy it was a very different story (as you noted). We had a family friend who was Italian-American and raved about these. Personally, I think there's some beauty with the simplicity of this car.
In Spain we had them everywhere too (via SEAT). This and the Ritmo, which you could see at local rally races too.
@@danielr.y5261
Princess May of the Geared Top had one too.
In Germany Fiat Panda are everywhere, even today, many of my Friends first Car was a Fiat Panda and these Cars never made Issues either
You can still pick these up for under $200 in europe
@@flynick no way you could find one for that price. A used 4x4 can go as much as €8000, normal running ones are around couple of thousands euros.
My girlfriend and I visited Italy in 2002, and we took photos of the various badges of Pandas. There were so many versions! When we would show friends the pictures, they couldn't believe the number of variants! Glad to see Doug review this one.
Look for Moretti Panda Rock, Giannini Panda, Coriasco Panda Style on internet, those were Pandas assembled and sold by the couchbuilders by their own during the 90's
Not only Panda, but pretty much all econoboxes in Europe did that.
There's a Yahoo edition of the Renault Clio, for example.
Al the econoboxes in Europe did the weird special editions back than.
There's a Yahoo edition to the Renault Clio. There's also a very popular QuickSilver edition.
Even these days, Renault sells a "Le Coq Sportif" edition of the Twingo.
Mine was a red “Young”
I had a 1987 Panda 4x4 in 1997 my first car. I serviced it myself, replaced the sunroof from a scrapyard myself. The rear wiper was squeaking like mad in pouring rain once then it stopped, it had fallen off. When it snowed it was awesome, went past nearly every car no problem. I’m in the UK .
grew up with several panda's, i love them. unbelevably practical cars, the back seat folds into nothing because its just a piece of fabric over a metal pipe., i remember the first generation with leaf springs where very soft and bouncy, the later models with coil springs where very hard. i would like to own one now, especially a 4x4, but i never saw much of thse here in the Netherlands and they go for big money these days...in Italy recently i still saw panda's absolutely everywhere, ...aso the panda has one of the most memorable commecials here in the Netherlands in the 80s
My family got TWO of them: Panda30 Sept.1980 and Panda 750cc June 1988. I can only say that it reminds me about my childhood in the late ‘80 when we were basic but happy and with bright expectations from the future, everybody even the poorer italian ate well, owned a house and enjoyed a 5 weeks holiday from work.
Nowadays we all have the latest iphone and we drive Audis but we are all stressed and smile-lacking.
Sad, but true - and it's the same all over Europe...
So true🥲
Please take off your rose tinted glasses. I love the 80ies because I was a teenager back then, but we had 3 TV programs, no internet, no mobile phones and generally everybody was poorer than today. I would never want to go back!
Absolutely NOT true.
In Italy GDP per capita was much higher in the ‘80s compared to now.
And we all were working much less.
Social benefits were high and none was complaining about the lack of jobs or the poor salary back then.
Numbers are here in support: in the last 30 years almost 6 MILLIONS Italians expatriate, in the ‘80s none was expatriating.
Nowadays unemployment is almost 20% of entire population and we have 4 millions living under poverty rate.
Also, nowadays none is making kids as none have the economical power to mantain them, public schools and health care are struggling…. Need more?
@@fedegiova In 1980, the Italian GDP per capita was $8546, in 2019 it was $33566.
Let's not talk about all the strikes, the political instability, terrorism and the Mafia of this time. Or how low the standard of living really was.
Sure, everything was better back then! 🙄
Perhaps you were young back then? A lot of people make the mistake to look back with rose tinted glasses.
Sure, 1980 was fun if you were 18. It also was exciting if you were 12. But let's facts be facts, please.
This truly is an icon of Italian automobiles. Happy to see you review one of these, Doug !!
It's a European automotive icon
Because of this splendid review I am now in love with the Panda 4x4
I own a 96 Panda 4x4 Country Club and I absolutely love it. It’s one of my favourite cars, this tiny little off road toy can do anything, trust me.
This is why primarily I love this channel, it's not just about high performance and luxury fancy cars. It's about all cars, new and old model, cheap, expensive, bad and great (oh, and often very weird).
Interesting quirk: some models had seats that folded down to make the whole interior space a full sized bed, you can imagine what was the target for that
Camping in the car while stopping at a remote location during off the trails drive?
@@anujeetroy9715 yeeeees, specially if you consider that the panda was every young person’s first car, that italians live with their parents till late, and that we all love a good camporella
The Fiat Panda "My Wife Kicked Me Out" Package
@@Sbinott0 I can totally relate. I won't survive an entire month without getting a chance to drive out into the wilderness for some quality solo time
@@Sbinott0 bro im from Romania i was joking
The ash Trey not only slides, it also detaches and could be attached in the headrests of the seats for the passengers. The Panda is my first car and when me and my friends go somewhere we always argue for the ash trey
When I passed my driving test, this was my mum's car. It was the 750cc version. Such a great car even with all the rust and alternator issues (they don't like UK weather one iota) It didn't feel slow to a 17 year old, probably because it was so light and handled so well. It was 'chuckable' into the corners, and I always emerged from a drive with a grin on my face. I still look for old ones at a good price - would be great with a modern TwinAir engine - or a tesla swap :)
I would love to see Doug review a first-gen Renault Twingo. Somewhat similar to the Panda, has lots of cool space-optimizing features like a back seat that can be moved towards or backwards. Cute styling and unusual interior design too.
(That being said, I don't know if anybody has imported one to North America - they're old enough by now, but this isn't exactly an RS3 or other cool enthusiast car.)
If I recall, I saw that there was a Craigslist add for a green one about a year or two ago in Texas (of all places), so at least one person brought one over
growing up in Uruguay, i remember i loved the yellow twingo my neighbor had bought! this was back in 95-98 somewhere around there
There's quite a cult following from the US, it wouldn't be surprising if someone imported them.
The best thing is that it's probably about the same size as the panda but you could fold the seats in a way so they would make a bed for actual grown adults.
Also the folding roof...
Not similar. It was "just" a cute-looking regular car. The sliding backseat was introduced in the Mazda 121 (Ford Festiva) in 1988, already. Also was the Canvas-Top. But I still agree, a Twingo would be a nice feature.
years ago my parents had a "seat marbella" which was this exact same car, just rebranded by seat. incredibly cozy, tiny, basic, and a true legend.
Both the Fiat Panda and Seat Marbella were a common sight in Germany.
And today?
Fiat Panda: Not very often, but not that rare
Seat Marbella: Extremely rare
In Brazil, there was somewhat of an "spiritual successor" to the Fiat Panda. It was the Fiat Uno. It was made throughout the 80s, well into the 90s, 2010's, ending production in 2013, with the Uno Grazzie Mille. It was basically a larger Panda, but without these AWD variants. However, due to it's factory high ride height and stiff suspension, many people mod them into off roaders, with AT tires, even higher suspension and added AWD mode into their gearboxes.
15:26 Oh my god the Panda van brings back memories this car is STILL driven around small farm villages in my country Serbia they are used for bread transporting from bakeries they filled the whole back of that thing with bread, or sometimes milk
This was my first car. The side vents are directly connected to outside, I remember learning to drive in a Fiesta or a Micra, and then getting into this, and wondering why my face was getting wet when it rained. Turned out it was the side vents. My car had 1 singular vertical interior vent to heat the cabin.
Probabiy was an 80s version, the one tested by Doug was one of the latest models. I remember a first serie Panda 30 with vertical vent and seats 1 cm thick... When you suddenly stop you can hear the fuel moving into fuel tank.
I drove one once and the shift stick was so thin and long I had fears it would break. :D
Interestingly the K10 Micra was originally designed for Fiat but then used by Datsun/Nissan.
@@gglivetv It's the same, my father has one from 2003. side vents only purpose is to bring fresh air from outside. When it's not too hot, like in spring, it's really nice, becuase you get fresh air without opening the windows, so if it's raining (water doesn't get through usually, OP's car maybe had the seal broken) you keep the rain out of the car.
As an Italian it's so fun to see you reviewing my family's cars. My mum had a Multipla and my grandpa had a Panda 4x4 when I was a child, and I loved seeing them on your channel
My first car when I was a student. An older model even more basic than this one. So smart, very reliable and you can customize or fix it with a simple screwdriver... I miss it!
Same here. I really underappreciated that car because of its suspension (or lack thereof), abysmal gear shift and lack of stability at 'high' speed. But in hindsight I realize it was a good little car that masterfully did the job it was designed for.
@@razorback20 "does the job"... You're right!
My first car in the UK was a 1991 Panda 903 "Dance" absolutely loved it, so simple to work on.
As a Panda owner myself, I waited for this review for years!! This car has been in the lives of tens of millions of people in Italy and believe me when I say there are places this car can go and a Defender or a G class won't, I've seen it with my eyes
Be careful, a car accident in that shitbox can be very dangerous
@@duncansmeraldi6192 I know. I actually own the 2nd gen Panda which is closer to a normal car in shape and chassis, but it's still kinda dangerous. But I have some friends who still have the original Panda, two of them regularly use them and one of the two is the legendary 4x4.
At least it's so slow that you will rarely put yourself in serious danger. (I mean, I often see old dudes driving it at 120km/h (75mph) on the highway, but that's not really where it belongs). But there are thousands of beautiful old towns in Europe with narrow roads where these things are the only 4-wheel veichles that you will see, and that's their natural habitat. Also as I mentioned it can become an impressive offroader, and if you spend as little as 2000/3000€ on mods I'm 100% serious that it outperforms a Defender or a G-class in most situations.
@@nomad6-1 yes that's true. For city use should be just fine. Airbags probably will be useless after 20 years regardless if they are not replaced..
Places like an American style Italian hood that looks like Brooklyn or Bronx? What they be making a hood style pizza with pineapple?
Sorry if this offends you especially pineapple on a pizza but I find this funny 🤣
@@duncansmeraldi6192 I'm positive that there was no airbag at all, at least in the early models
I'm really glad Doug appreciates everything this iconic car is. You could actually get them with some "luxuries" like A/C, power windows, power locks, electronic headlight adjustment on later models, oh and an interesting quirk, the panda 1.1 actually uses the same coils as an Lamborghini Diablo 😅
Coil packs or spring coils?
Should it really matter if it uses the same coils as a Lambo? I don’t think so really. Speaking of fiat, or Stellantis, I find Alfa V6 using a Ferrari engine more interesting really
@@drippgxd Nobody questioned whether it matters or not. It was clearly a fun fact/tidbit of information for those who didn't know like myself. Nobody asked for your opinion, yet here you are stating it...
@@Jon-mo9ks coil packs
@@S1lverArr0w shut up you got triggered by a comment. Get a life bmw fanboy 😂
As an italian, i have to add an essential piece of information. The panda is equipped with the mist efficient safety devices, such as the cross hanged on the mirror, which prevents incidents that would otherwise be deadly.
at some
point we had two in my family. the one belonging to my grandma was given away only few years back but it was totally working and really fun to drive. miss those days
If you count the Brazilian Uno/Mile, the panda platform lasted up to 2013
Se falar que esse carro era vendido até 2013 no br esses cara não acreditariam 😂 e o acabamento do do video é bem mais maneiro que os 2013 kkkkkk
Uno é raiz.
not the same plataform. 2010 Uno MK2 shares plataform with New Panda. Classic Panda was smaller than Uno and never shared plataform. For european terms MK1 Uno was a compact (B Segment) and Panda a city-car (A Segment)
The Fiat Panda and the Fiat Uno were totally different platforms, the Uno was more advanced and actually quite a revoluctionary car for the era.
The Fiat Panda platform was used on the Seat Marbella and the ID Capsula concept.
Wasn't the Brazilian Fiat Uno based on the Italian Fiat Uno platform as well?
They maybe shared the Fire engine, that was developed back in the 70s and it still is built with some tweaks, in fact the new Firefly engines are their evolution
The panda was also one of the first cars produced in a (small) series also fully electric (Elettra) in 1990.
Of this first generation, in addition to the 4x4 (manual only), 2wd was also produced with automatic transmission (CVT) and even diesel.
The very first versions had rear seats that could become a sort of hammock ...
Thanks Doug for the review !!!
I had the one with the "hammock" - it was a piece of design made of pure genius.
@@RickyDeContardi For those reasons too, the commercials said: "if it didn't exist, they should invent it"
The Selecta really is an underappreciated model, the cvt is great on low power cars. I drive my grandma's 1998 one
I love your channel, because you go into every detail of the cars and now that you get some european models to test, it's even more interesting for me. The Panda was the bread and butter car in Italy in the 80's. It's weird that you didn't mention the huge gaps between the body parts of the Panda, it really stands out here :)
As an Italian and an enthusiast of this car I love seeing it featured in the US,
But want to point out some details.
First thing first this is the late production model with the enlarged grill slits and no badges, the late 80s and early 90s ones looked better.
Then special editions were a thing since the start and were very good alterations to the base model, I suggest to take a look at the 4x4 sisley or the val d'isere.
This is more of a curiosity than a point out but the first series 1980-1986 was the one with the 600cc 2 cylinder or 903cc 4cylinder. Then they were phased out by the 750cc or 999cc Fire engine all 4 cylinder. Also the first series had very different interior, the seats were somewhat like stuffed hammocks that could be shaped in almost any way. For example a full 2 place bed or van by folding the rear one.
Fun facts about the Panda: the prototypes were burned by the Fiat employees because the Fiat managers wanted to build one in the south rather than the nord; the original one was presented in front of Italy’s then President Sandro Pertini; when they chose Giorgetto Giugiaro they told him the wanted a “huge small car” and that it had to be EXTREMELY SIMPLE in order to make sure that factory workers wouldn’t sabotage the cars, since there were many many political fights and strikes between the employees and the managers and sabotages were a daily occurrence…
The Panda Young was the cheapest trim level on the catalog. It was intended for novice drivers or young people that wanted just a vehicle to move around. Other cheap models of the Fiat catalog from that era had the Young trim level too.
I still have my '89 Fiat Panda 750cl 34 hp!! 5,8lt / 6.5lt on the city. It goes everywhere. Love it!! From Lisbon, Portugal with Love for Panda'monium Fiat
This is the "favelift" version. We used to have a 1987 4x4 model, which was even more spartanian: 1 air blower, backseat without any padding anx etc. Lovely car, still missing it ❤️
I'm Italian. Here we have respect for this car. We've all seen in the mountain roads doing things that a Renge Rover can't do. Where off-road vehicles stop she goes on.
*Where a real off Road veichle stop She stops far earlyer😅
@@davidem02 dude you have no idea, that panda can climb walls, there’s nothing stopping it
@@Sbinott0 A train can stop it and completely destroy any car.
@@automation7295 you dont get the point. This panda will destroy any g class out there and jeep
@@automation7295I was talking about terrain not moving objects
Just a little remark, every time Doug says an icon in Italy, you see it in Italy etc etc. read Italy as Europe. This car is an Italian European icon. We love this this little thing.
Not Many years ago I had to drop my modern Audi in the middle of nowhere car shop due to a faulty spark plug during a long weekend out. It was closed and he couldn’t work on the car immediately so he very humbly asked if I wouldn’t mind to take his loaner if I wanted to still enjoy my weekend. It was a freaken panda 4x4. I was just like yoo I don’t even know if I gonna bring it back. Gimme panda to me. Fuck AC. I had a lot of fun.
fully understand. owning the sama as in video. Hope you did not engage that 4x4 on tarmac.
I remember the 4x4 my mum had in the 80s it was an earlier version with the back seat that was basically a hammock that hung off the sides. Was great off road though there was a bad snow one year and me and my dad drove past range rovers and 90s stuck and we just carried on no issues.
I'm a 21 years old italian and i recently bought a 1988 fiat panda 4x4 and i absolutely love it, it's the italian dream car, it's like a little tank, you can go everywhere with this and never break it, italians use it on mountains, in countryside, in city. Every kid of this generation has some older relative with a panda and everyone dreams of a panda. After 21 years i now have the opportunity to love it more as i already loved it. I am always amazed of how is the smallest on the outside but on the inside there's more space than in my father's land rover Freelander
Here in Spain we had both this and the seat panda, exactly the same car, the 4x4 versions are really capable off roaders and rally cars, even today, there's still a lot of them in northern/rural areas,heck, Carlos Sainz started his career with one
seat Marbella... trajectory is for missiles, bullets and cannons :D
@@daniel-ino The Marbella had the old Fiat 127 engine!
Very popular as a rental car in Spanish resorts
@@daniel-ino Previous to the Marbella, There was the SEAT Panda. The Marbella was a Panda restyling, that appeared later.
the seat marbella sucked even mroe that the original italian one lol
Fun fact: the Panda 4x4 is THE national car of Andorra, the mountainous mini state in Europe. Poor, rich or government official, they all drive the Panda 4x4
I had the panda Sisley 4x4 UK version in 1990 in metallic red and came fully loaded with all extras at no extra cost, a nice car at the time.
we had the badge engineered version of this, the SEAT Marbella, it was reliable and cheap to run and the engine was solid for the kms it had, you could cross deserts in these
We had one too, in bright pink...
I just can't help but fall in love with the "regular" cars that Doug reviews.
I like these vids the best too. I mean yes the super cars, quirky concept cars, and high dollar luxury vehicles are fun and interesting, but most people don't drive those and never will. Most people have driven the "every" car, and some of yesterday's every-car have become nostalgic curiosities in automotive history that bring back a lot of fond, and sometimes not so fond memories with people and show how far performance and comfort have come over the years and what ideas have failed, succeeded, or were just too ahead of their time.
The early seats were even more "primitive", they were basically some like garden chairs. My brother in law had one of the early version, and whenever we went on the freeway. And going around 100 kmh, you could see the bonnet and fenders "flapping" in the wind. Scared the crap out of me, but he thought (and still does) it's the best car ever
I was about to say.. the rear bench was like a hammock.. not comfortable at all!
If he had that one with 4x4 than he probably had a best car product ever. My one is like this in dougs rewiew. Still greatest car butt that hammock seats were best.
Great review, good job!
Cheap and practical and you are driving the most luxurious version.
I've started to drive with an 1986 Panda 750 S (who as badges on the rear). The S version is most similar to the one you have except for the EFi engine and the inclinometer. But came out with a stereo and a clock.
The C and CL versions of the same year have 4 speeds instead of five, no door glovebox and trims (bare metal) no stereo, no clock, no front ashtray.
The PANDA is a status symbol
This March I went to Italy to ski. There were two of those parking every single day in front of my window. In a tiny kind of village where there was just a shop, a few apartment buildings and the ski lift boarding station. And there were more of these anywhere you went around. And dozens of their successors - the modern second and third generation Pandas too. I love them all
And newest 4x4 ones are worst...
It has to be said that Fiat still has a model called Panda in the lineup. Panda is now a conventional city car, except that it still has a 4x4 version, and it's shockingly capable off road.
My parents bought one in the early 80, it was a beige Panda 30, 4 gear, no headrest, no seatbelt, we went on holiday in Greece throught a long round trip crossing the border of Jugoslavia, Albania and then Greece. big nostalgia.
Great car. My dad had two old and now an newer ( 2008 ) panda as his second car besides his vw golf. It is perfect for dirt roads for an farmer in the black forest in Germany where we live
I remember in the UK driving my friends Panda 1000CL in black back in the 90's, they were a really wealthy family, and a Panda was not seen as the poor persons choice - it had universal appeal, something lacking these days. Great car to drive in its pure simplicity.
A VW Golf can do that
I remember in the same period or at least in the 80s middle class families would have 2cv as the second car. As for the Golf comment, the Golf was often seen as a little ostentatious for a second shopping car.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg a Golf was almost seen as a luxury
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg I was referring to standards nowadays. Multi millionaires drive Golfs as well as upper working class.
How bourgeois. The peasants made do with the 750.
Can’t help but picture James May off-roading through South America.
amazing to see so many 4x4s zipping around in the alps this year and then immediately finding it here
When I was little we had a Seat panda. Same thing but Spanish made. I remember a time when I was a bit older, my mum was driving and I felt she driving too fast, I looked at the speedometer and it read 40m/h. That thing really flew.
Seat Marbella.
@kraenk12 No. I'm talking Seat Panda here. Know your history pal.
Do you really feel you know more about the car I grew up with than myself? What a total smart ass.
It is funny to see Doug constantly talking about the Panda’s simplicity, while in South America we only got its little brother, the Fiat Uno, that is even simpler!
In Italy was the opposite: the Panda was the cheap utilitarian sub compact, the Uno was much reifned and nice (and defintiely more expensive).
@@gglivetv I had no idea about that! In Brazil, the Unos were made either locally or in Argentina, and were among the cheapest cars available from the mid 80s until 2010s. At least there were several special versions with a bit more quality and performance, such as the Uno 1.6R and the Uno Turbo (first turbocharged car in Brazil). Nowadays, people in Brazil and Argentina are making insane builds with these cars due to the availability of cheap parts.
Na real o Uno e maior que o Panda, em tudo, motores, equipamento, dimensões etc. o Panda era menor que o 147.
@@TheJpedro14 Eu acho o visual do Uno mais agradável e proporcional. Apesar de que a traseira do Panda lembra a traseira do Lancia Delta.
The Uno is the bigger brother (& is nicer to drive, as its slightly wider, so goes round corners better).
I honestly love cars like this. Breaking the norm of regular automobiles. I wouldn't mind seeing more tours of cars like this. Doug's a good reviewer and I really enjoyed his walkthough on this.
It was my first daily driver. Loved it.. Seat did the exact same car and it was called the Ibiza. At some point, all taxis in Morocco were Fiat Pandas.
The intermittent drilling sound in the background drove me crazy! I had this on in the background trying to sleep and I thought I was hearing myself snore while I was still awake!
The OG panda is like IKEA furniture, it's cheap and basic but incredibly well designed to do exactly what it sets out to do. You have to admire how good it is at what it's made for.
IKEA furniture lmao hey atleast you get the things you want on the spot without waiting a month for bed frame to come
My 1st car was a Panda...a 1000CL
In Germany we called it "tolle Kiste" which roughly translates to "great box" (super duper box).
It had 45 furious horses and was a blast to drive 27 years ago
Questa Panda però è una delle ultime versioni della prima serie, ma soprattutto è la 4 x 4 (una versione speciale, la “country club”), che non era così diffusa e comune.
È una specie di mini Jeep fuoristrada. Sarebbe stato più significativo recensire le primissime versioni base della prima serie, quelle uscite dalla penna di Giugiaro (se ben ricordo c’erano la “30” e la “45”), che erano ancora molto più spartane e basiche, nonché più pulite ed interessanti come design (io ne ho avute due, una con un bellissimo tetto in tela completamente apribile, che ho usato a lungo nella casa del mare).
Doug avrebbe dovuto provare la Panda 4 x 4 fuori strada, dove si rivela un vero trattore capace di andare ovunque
penso che sia anni 2001
Being a Belgian guy and especially being a kid at the time it came out and a youg adult when they still sold it, it was one of my all favourit cars. I was never the typical guy that wanted a fat sportscar. I was and still am the guy that loves small, practical and most important of all, quirky cars. I loved the Panda just as I loved the Lada 2107, the Skoda 1300, The Fiat Uno, the Suzuki Alto and Swift. I even very much loved the Fiat 127 but that was too small for me. To bad you didn't have the opportunity to test drive the Panda Selecta with a variomatic transmission.